Prince Claus Fund - Activities

Lecture-Performance by Rabih Mroué

Rabih Mroué: The Inhabitants of Images

An audience of 175 guests attended on 17 April 2012 the lecture-performance 'The Inhabitants of Images', given by 2011 Prince Claus laureate Rabih Mroué.

Organized by BAK (basis voor acutele kunst), SMART Project Space and Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development to mark the receipt of the Prince Claus Award as well as the release of the first comprehensive publication analyzing his work, Rabih Mroué: A BAK Critical Reader in Artists’ Practice.

After introductions by Thomas Peutz (SMART Project Space) and Maria Hlavajova (BAK), Rabih Mroué analyzed in his three-part 'non-academic lecture' several instances of the manipulation of images for political ends in Lebanon. Mroué received the Prince Claus Award 'for his radical interrogation of memory, power, and the construction of truth'.

The work's point of departure was an image of a poster that Mroué saw in Beirut, featuring an (otherwise impossible) meeting between former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri (born 1944, died 2005) and former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (born 1918, died 1970). The artist then examined a series of images of commemorative posters of martyrs and sets off a flow of speculations about the fabrication of political mythologies, masterfully mixing fact with fiction.

Finally Marjorie Boston (Director MC Theatre and Member of the Board of the Prince Claus Fund) thanked Rabih Mroué and the audience. The evening was closed with drinks.

"interrogates the construction of 'truth'"

2011 Prince Claus Awards Jury Report

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20120417 Rabih Mroué - The Inhabitants of Images

20120417 Rabih Mroué - The Inhabitants of Images,

20120417 Rabih Mroué - The Inhabitants of Images

links

BAK

Basis voor Actuele Kunst (BAK)

SMART Project Space

Amsterdam Centre for Contemporary Art and Cinema

Interview with Rabih Mroué

Interview by Arte from 2010 with 2011 Prince Claus laureate Rabih Mroué and his wife Lina Saneh on their performance 'Photo-romance'.

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Rabih Mroué

Rabih Mroué - Three Posters

Rabih Mroué

Rabib Mroué and HE Mr. H. de Boer, photo: Houssam Mchaiemch

Rabih Mroué speech, photo: Houssam Mchaiemch

Amongst others: 2011 laureate Rabih Mroué and 2006 laureate Christine Tohme

Rabih Mroué

programme

Prince Claus Awards

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The Prince Claus Awards honour outstanding achievements in the field of culture and development. The awards are presented annually to 11 individuals or organisations whose cultural actions have a positive impact on the development of their societies.

information

Short CV and Jury Report

Mroué (born 1967) is an actor, director, playwright, and artist based in Beirut, whose practice spans disciplines and formats such as music, performance, theater, and visual art, and explores how varied modes of art can open up a space of possibility in connection to civic and political imagination. He is an Contributing Editor in the Lebanese quarterly 'Kalamon' and 'TDR' (New York). He is also one of the founders and executive Board of Beirut Art Center association (BAC).

In 2011 Mroué became a Prince Claus laureate 'for his radical interrogation of memory, power, and the construction of truth, for creating direct audience encounters with and methods for analyzing the instability of meaning, for stimulating critical social engagement by exposing and opening up discussion on sensitive issues, and for offering a moral voice emphasizing individual responsibility.'

Lecture-Performance by Rabih Mroué

Rabih Mroué: The Inhabitants of Images An audience of 175 guests attended on 17 April 2012 the lecture-performance 'The Inhabitants of Images', given by 2011 Prince Claus laureate Rabih Mroué. Organized by BAK (basis voor acutele kunst), SMART Project Space and Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development to mark the receipt of the Prince Claus Award as well as the release...